Some features within WELL at scale, WELL Ratings, and WELL for residential require audited documentation, which allows you to provide documentation for a reduced number of locations. Keep reading to learn more about how audit documentation works–be sure to choose the correct tab for your project.

• This section explains audit documentation for WELL at scale, the WELL Equity Rating and WELL Health-Safety Rating. Audit documentation does not apply to WELL Certification or the WELL Performance Rating.

  What are audited documents?

  Some features within your WELL at scale or WELL Ratings scorecards require audited documents for verification. Audited documents allow you to provide documentation for a reduced number of locations rather than for all locations pursuing a feature. To learn more about how we calculate audit requirements, which verification methods are audited and where to find your audit list, watch the video below or keep reading.

  How are audit requirements calculated?

  The number of audited locations is equal to the square root of the total number of locations pursuing an option, rounded down. See the example below, or use this calculator to determine the number of audit locations required.

  Audit requirement calculator
  Number of locations pursuing feature
  Required audit locations	0

  M05.1 Option 1 requires a professional narrative–an audited verification method. If you pursue this option at 10 locations, you must provide documentation for 3 of them (√10=3.16, rounded down to 3).

  Which verification methods are audited?

  The verification method determines if the WELL feature is subject to audit. The following verification methods are subject to audit:

  • On-going Maintenance Report
  • On-site Photographs
  • Professional Narrative
  • Some Technical Documents (indicated by "Audited" next to the verification method in the feature language)
  • WELL Strategy

  You may only upload one file per auditable verification method per location.

  • For WELL at scale accounts: If you need to upload multiple files, please upload them together in a .zip file.
  • For Ratings accounts: If you need to upload multiple documents, consolidate them into a single .pdf file for upload.

  You can also use filters within your Scorecard to see all features that require audited documentation.

  WELL at scale, Performance Rating, Equity Rating; Health-Safety Rating created after April 18, 2023

  1. Click the ‘Filters’ button on your scorecard.
  2. Expand the ‘Document Scale’ section.
  3. Choose ‘Audited’.
  4. Click ‘Apply’.

  Health-Safety Rating created before April 18, 2023

  1. Click the Verification button on your scorecard.
  2. Choose one of the verification methods listed above to find features that require audits.

  How do I see my audit locations?

  WELL at scale, Performance Rating, Equity Rating; Health-Safety Rating created after April 18, 2023

  These instructions apply to WELL at scale and all WELL Ratings projects except Health-Safety Rating projects created before April 18, 2023.

  After you have indicated which locations are pursuing an option, the locations selected for audit will display under the Tasks section on the feature’s Verification page.

  1. Open your Scorecard.
  2. Click the applicable feature.
  3. Go to the Verification section.
  4. Scroll down to the Tasks section.
  5. Next to the upload button, you will see the number of locations selected. Click this text to see the audit locations.

  

  

  Health-Safety projects created before April 18, 2023

  1. Click on the 'Documents' tab in your WELL account
  2. Navigate to 'General' documents
  3. You should see an audit list with the naming convention HSRPXXXXXX_projectname_renewal_audit_list_year_month_day

  What happens if my audit documentation isn't approved?

  All audit requirements must be fulfilled before any non-audited locations can achieve the feature part. For instance, in the example above, there are 10 total locations pursuing the feature with 3 audit locations. If the 3 required audit documents are not approved, the 7 locations that were not audited cannot achieve the feature.

  If some but not all audit documents are approved, only the audit locations assigned to the approved documents will achieve the feature. For example, if the documents for location 1 and 2 are approved but not location 3, only location 1 and 2 will achieve the feature. Location 3 and the rest of the non-audit locations will not achieve the feature.

  Adding new locations to a previously achieved audit option

  Assigning additional locations to an audited option may or may not change the number of audit documents required. See the examples below:

  Additional audits required

  In a previous review, you achieved feature M05.1 Option 1 at 10 locations within your subscription. Option 1 requires a professional narrative–an audited document type. To achieve this option, you had to provide audit documents for 3 locations. (The number of required documents was √10 = 3.16, rounded down to 3).
  
  Later, you decide to pursue M05.1 Option 1 at 6 more locations. The total number of locations assigned to this feature is now 16. You will need to provide additional documentation for 1 new location. The number of required documents is √16 = 4. A new task will appear in the Tasks section for the 1 new location that requires documentation.
  
  In your next review, if you successfully achieve this feature at the selected audit location, the other 5 locations added will also achieve the feature. In some situations, assigning additional locations to an audited option may not change the number of audit documents required.

  No additional audits required

  In a previous review, you achieved feature M05.1 Option 1 at 10 locations within your subscription. Option 1 requires a professional narrative–an audited document type. To achieve this option, you had to provide audit documents for 3 locations. (The number of required documents was √10 = 3.16, rounded down to 3). 
  
  Later, you decide to pursue M05.1 Option 1 at 3 more locations. The total number of locations assigned to this feature is now 13. You will not need to provide any additional documentation for the 3 new locations because the total number of required audit locations has not changed. The number of required documents is √13 = 3.6, rounded down to 3–the same number of documents required previously.
  
  In this situation, the Tasks section will display ‘0 locations pursuing’ as shown above because you do not need to provide any additional documents for this option. However, the new locations will show as Pursuing in the Option section. After your next review, these 3 new locations will achieve this option.

  Where can I find additional information on audit requirements?

  Check out the WELL Program Guidebook for additional information on the auditing requirements.

• How audits work

  Audits streamline the review process for multiple dwelling units pursuing features that require location-specific verification documents. The number of audited units is equal to the square root of the number of units submitted and rounded down. Under a subscription, if there are multiple buildings or communities in the same review cycle, the number of audited units is distributed according to the size of the building or community. 

  If an auditable feature is pursued in some, but not all, of the dwelling units, audit selection in excess of the minimum may be required to ensure that each audited feature is represented. For example, your enrollment includes 100 units, meaning 10 units will be selected for audit. A subset of these units are pursuing Feature R-N02.1. If the 10 units selected for audit do not include a representative sample of the units that are pursuing R-N02.1, additional audited units may be required

  The following verification types are location-specific and apply only to audited units:

  • Drawings
  • Area maps
  • Photographs
  • Calculations and modeling reports
  • Onsite test results

  A WELL Reviewer may also audit documentation marked as “shareable” when the feature implementation strategy may vary by location (such as through a customizable operations schedule utilized by different cleaning vendors).

  Some features involving onsite tests have unique audit rules. For example, for R-S01 parts 1 and 2, the number of audits is equal to half of the square root of the total number of dwelling units, rounded up, with the units selected by the qualified professional. These unique audit rules will be identified in the WELL for residential Performance Verification Guidebook.

  If a unit selected for onsite testing is:

  1. Already occupied, the project team may apply to substitute another similar unit. This request must be approved before submitting test results by contacting us through the “Get Help” button in the support tab of your WELL for residential account.
  2. No longer pursuing WELL for residential within the review cycle (e.g., plans changed and the unit was not built), no testing is required for that unit and no alternative site must be identified unless it was the only unit selected for testing.
  3. Still targeting WELL for residential certification but is no longer targeting the feature being tested, then the project team must identify a substitute unit to test.

  If an audited dwelling unit fails to provide passing documentation or otherwise meet the requirements of an audit, all dwelling units pursuing that feature within the review cycle will not be awarded the feature.

  To request the list of audited units, submit the unit details sheet through the “Get Help” button in the support tab of your WELL for residential account. The list of audited units will be returned via email and saved in your review folder.